The Groundtruth from a combat veteran, backed up by independent research and historical study. Information beneficial to the Troops. And a touch of objective politics, as it relates to the subjects at hand.

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SSgt Workman is featured in the Hall of Heroes and a book review on this from Marine Till Death that read it as it was written: http://waronterrornews.typepad.com/home/2008/12/shadow-of-the-sword-by-jeremiah-workman-w-john-bruning.html

http://waronterrornews.typepad.com/home/2008/12/ssgt-jeremiah-workman-navy-cross-usmc-iraq-marion-oh.html and links to prior articles.

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713 posts from June 2011

Thursday, June 30, 2011

“For those of us in leadership positions, we just can’t keep talking about this,” Mullen said. “We have to generate actions on the ground.”

By Cheryl PellerinAmerican Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, June 29, 2011 – Nations and organizations of all kinds must join together to take on the challenges posed by a growing number of weak and failing states, Navy Adm. Mike Mullen said today.

Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, spoke at a launch event for the 2011 Failed States Index, hosted by The Fund for Peace and Business Executives for National Security. The fund has published the index since 2005.

“[For] every single entity that exists on this globe, whether it’s public or private [or] nongovernmental,” Mullen said. “ … It’s imperative that we all figure out how we’re going to address these challenges together because … they are coming at us at a speed that is accelerating.”

CAMP LEATHERNECK, Afghanistan — Every Marine has a story. For one Reservist currently serving in Helmand province the story is of a rocket scientist who answered the call to serve his country as a third generation Marine.

First Lt. William J. Fredericks, an amiable 29-year-old raised in Nantucket, Mass., works as an aerospace engineer at NASA Langley Research Center in Hampton, Va. He graduated from Purdue University in 2006 with a degree in aeronautical engineering, and moved to Williamsburg, Va., after landing the position with NASA. While he enjoys the challenge of his prestigious career in what he jokingly refers to as “cubical land,” sitting at a desk in the Aeronautics Systems Analysis branch was not quite enough.

“I was out of college a year and I didn’t want to be 40 and say I sat in a cubical in my 20s and 30s,” explained Fredericks, whose military occupational specialty is artillery. “I had a privileged upbringing, and I felt called to serve the country that gave me so many opportunities.”

That upbringing included a military flavor. Fredericks’ father and grandfather both served as Marines as well, a legacy now spanning three generations.

The shura between their religious representatives came about when the local elders heard that the Gurkhas’ religious advisers were planning a visit to the Nepalese soldiers operating in Nad ‘Ali (South). They then organised the shura for the representatives of the different religions to come together and discuss the similarities shared by their faiths and forge a better understanding of each other.

British Foreign Secretary William Hague said Thursday his country is supplying 5,000 sets of body armor, 6,650 police uniforms and 5,000 high-visibility vests to police loyal to Libya's opposition Transitional National Council. He said the equipment will allow police to "carry out their functions more securely and better protect" opposition representatives and the international aid communities in rebel-controlled areas.

Force Master Chief Steven Studdard, left, and the wife of fallen Petty Officer 1st Class Jeffrey S. Taylor, carry a wreath during the sixth anniversary ceremony held at Naval Special Warfare Command to honor the men of Operation Red Wings. Jeffrey S. Taylor was killed during an operation to attempt to rescue a four-man SEAL team tasked with finding a key Taliban leader in the mountainous terrain near Asadabad, Afghanistan. The operation claimed the lives of 11 Navy SEALs and eight Army soldiers assigned to the Night Stalkers of the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment. (U.S. Navy photo by Seaman Megan Anuci)

"He which hath no stomach to this fight let him depart. But we in it shall be remembered. We few, we happy few, we band of brothers!! For he today, that sheds his blood with me, shall always be my brother.” (W.Shakespeare) Rest in peace my Brothers, you have not been forgotten.

British police belatedly arrested Muslim radical preacher Ra'ad Salah in the pre-dawn hours Wednesday after he entered the country freely and nearly spoke in parliament, according to some news reports. British newspapers have not so far confirmed the arrest.

Salah is banned from the country, but airport police allowed him to enter.

A top Haqqani network leader in Afghanistan who is suspected of aiding militants who attacked a Kabul hotel late Tuesday, has been killed by NATO.

In a statement Thursday, NATO said it killed Ismail Jan and several Haqqani fighters in an airstrike in Paktiya province near the Pakistani border. It said Jan was the deputy to the senior Haqqani commander in Afghanistan, and has led a group of fighters in attacks against Afghan and coalition security forces since late 2010.

MCLEAN, Va., June 29, 2011 – The parents of a Marine Corps sergeant killed in Afghanistan accepted a posthumous National Intelligence Medal for Valor on their son’s behalf at the National Intelligence Directorate headquarters here today.

National Intelligence Director James R. Clapper, left, presents the National Intelligence Medal for Valor to the parents of Marine Sgt. Lucas T. Pyeatt, a signals intelligence team leader who was killed while on patrol in Helmand province, Afghanistan, Feb. 5, 2011. Cynthia and Lon "Scott" Pyeatt, above, accepted the award on behalf of their son during a ceremony today at the National Intelligence Directorate headquarters in McLean, Va. DOD photo by Karen Parrish

Sgt. Lucas T. Pyeatt, 24, a signals intelligence team leader from West Chester, Ohio, died Feb. 5 during combat operations in Helmand province. He was assigned to the 2nd Radio Battalion, II Marine Expeditionary Force Headquarters Group, Camp Lejeune, N.C.

Female teams help win confidence of Afghan women

29 Jun 11 A key aspect of the Royal Marines' mission in Afghanistan is winning the confidence of the local population, and this effort is being greatly enhanced by the deployment of Female Engagement Teams (FETs).

The FETs work hand-in-hand with the front line troops of 3 Commando Brigade Royal Marines, and have become an important asset in the campaign against the insurgency.

Cultural mores in Helmand prevent male soldiers communicating directly with Afghan women, so a female presence on the part of the allied forces on the ground is crucial in building up relationships with Helmand's women.

The FETs are drawn from across the Armed Forces and, after some language and cultural training, are deployed to support their male colleagues on front line operations.

Petty Officer Trish Wilkinson heads a small FET in the south of Nad 'Ali district in Helmand, working alongside Royal Marines from 45 Commando and soldiers of B Company, 2nd Battalion The Royal Gurkha Rifles.

With 41 percent of enrolled Veterans living in rural areas, the need for improved access to quality health care for rural Veterans has led the VA to transform the way health care is delivered. Rural Veterans face challenges when trying to access to quality health care because of the shortage of health care resources in rural areas, as well as the lack of specialty care providers. The Office of Rural Health (ORH) is working to ensure that rural Veterans have access to the health care they deserve.

Israel Warns Assad He Is on Death List If He Attacks: Report

by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu

A Kuwaiti newspaper reports that Israel has warned Syrian President Bashar Assad that he will be targeted if he tries to start a war with Israel to take the glare off his brutal suppression of the uprising in his country.

The al-Jarida newspaper reported that the warning was sent through mediators in Turkey following intelligence reports of exceptional movements of Syrian troops and re-location of long-range missiles.

KABUL, Afghanistan (June 29, 2011) – The International Security Assistance Force joins President Karzai and the Ministry of the Interior in condemning the attack on the Intercontinental Hotel in Kabul last night. ISAF also commends the rapid response by Afghan security forces who cleared the building and secured the situation.

“We join President Karzai in condemning this cowardly attack on Afghan civilians,” said Rear Admiral Vic Beck, ISAF Director of Public Affairs. “Even though insurgents have declared their intention to avoid civilian casualties, this attack put Afghan lives at risk and demonstrates their complete disregard for the Afghan people.”

Several insurgents were killed during the operation and one insurgent was wounded when he attempted to engage the patrol with small arms fire and a machine gun. The injured insurgent was treated at the scene by coalition medics before being taken to a medical facility for further treatment.

The patrol confiscated a light machine gun and 400 7.62 mm rounds during the operation.

National Intelligence Director James R. Clapper, left, presents the National Intelligence Medal for Valor to the parents of Marine Sgt. Lucas T. Pyeatt, a signals intelligence team leader who was killed while on patrol in Helmand province, Afghanistan, Feb. 5, 2011. Cynthia and Lon "Scott" Pyeatt, above, accepted the award on behalf of their son during a ceremony today at the National Intelligence Directorate headquarters in McLean, Va. DOD photo by Karen Parrish(Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available.

MCLEAN, Va., June 29, 2011 - The parents of a Marine Corps sergeant killed in Afghanistan accepted a posthumous National Intelligence Medal for Valor on their son's behalf at the National Intelligence Directorate headquarters here today.

Sgt. Lucas T. Pyeatt, 24, a signals intelligence team leader from West Chester, Ohio, died Feb. 5 during combat operations in Helmand province. He was assigned to the 2nd Radio Battalion, II Marine Expeditionary Force Headquarters Group, Camp Lejeune, N.C.

National Intelligence Director James R. Clapper presented the award to Lon "Scott" Pyeatt and Cynthia Pyeatt during the small ceremony this morning.

"We're here today to pay tribute to an outstanding Marine and an extraordinary intelligence professional," Clapper said. "The Marine Corps has already recognized Luke, so this is ... a small token of appreciation and respect and esteem from the intelligence community."

Clapper said Pyeatt was a "standout young man," a Civil War buff and an accomplished bass player, who was sensitive enough to learn American Sign Language so he could communicate with, and interpret for, a deaf friend.

"He was an Eagle Scout ... [and] a young man who lived his faith, including serving on a mission in Russia," Clapper added.

29 June 2011 Peter Clottey VOA News U.N. forces have launched a one-week offensive in North Kivu province. The United Nations Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUSCO) is taking action after attacks by rebel groups.

The goal of the offensive is to ensure peace and stability in the area before the general elections in November, said Lieutenant Colonel Felix Basse, military spokesman for MONUSCO.

“We have seen some activities by various armed groups in that area,” said Basse, “so that’s why we have launched another operation in order to [show] the dominance of MONUSCO [and] to increase protection of the population.”

He said the offensive in the Grand Nord area of the province will prevent

"He which hath no stomach to this fight let him depart. But we in it shall be remembered. We few, we happy few, we band of brothers!! For he today, that sheds his blood with me, shall always be my brother.” (W.Shakespeare) Rest in peace my Brothers, you have not been forgotten.

After receiving a tip-off from local people, the 3 Commando Brigade Reconnaissance Force (BRF) uncovered the enemy base in Nahr-e Saraj district.

Inside the compound, which had been laced with IEDs, the BRF found 75 pressure plate devices armed and ready to be laid in the ground to maim and kill. Another 40 were in the process of being constructed and there was a stash of 140 kilograms of homemade explosives which could have been used to make many more.

WASHINGTON, June 29, 2011 - Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates has sent a message to every post, ship, base and installation thanking service members and their families for their service.

In the message, which went out today, Gates said it has been "the greatest honor of my life to serve and to lead you for the past four-and-a-half years."

The secretary retires from his position tomorrow. President George W. Bush nominated Gates as defense secretary in November 2006. When President Barack Obama took office in January 2009, he asked Gates to stay. The secretary is the only cabinet member ever retained by an incoming president from another political party.

BAGHDAD—Soldiers with 1st “First Lightning” Battalion, 7th Field Artillery Regiment, 2nd Advise and Assist Brigade, 1st Infantry Division, United States Division-Center joined members of the 1st Iraqi Federal Police Division to congratulate Soldiers and 1st IFP Div. officers during a graduation ceremony at Joint Security Station Loyalty June 1 after they completed combined Modern Army Combatives Level 1 certification training.

“I am proud of what you accomplished and the sacrifices you made during this course,” said Lt. Col. Andrew C. Gainey, commander of 1st Bn., 7th FA Regt. “Continue to build on your success, continue to trust in the partnership, and continue the respect and understanding of the sacrifices being made to make Iraq a safe place.”

The 530th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, 101st Sustainment Brigade, is addressing the needs of Afghan villagers in the Balkh province by working to provide water wells in the region.

06.28.2011 Story by Spc. Michael Vanpool BALKH PROVINCE, Afghanistan – Clean water is hard to come by in Afghanistan. Walking around any forward operating base, a soldier will pass several water points, each stacked with cases of bottle water.

That’s not the case for the villages of Afghanistan. The Commander’s Emergency Response Program team for the 530th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion decided to tackle the issue by starting a project in the Dehdadi District to build water wells for several villages.

“The villages there are in dire need of a clean water source,” said Capt. Sherman Pinckney, the officer in charge of the 530th CERP team. “They (villagers) have to walk to other areas to get water in buckets or bottles and bring them home.”

An unusually dry winter throughout Afghanistan has left several villages short on water that runs off from the mountains every spring and summer.

“Usually it snows a lot, but this year there wasn’t that much snow, so there’s a drought this summer,” said Sgt. 1st Class Anthony Brown, the CERP team noncommissioned officer in charge.

Currently, there are no wells in the villages. Once the projects are completed, six shallow wells will be in place in different villages throughout the district.

The CERP team conducted a shura with the locals leaders to discuss what the villages needed. During the meeting, all the elders agreed that wells where the most important assistance they needed, Brown said.

The well construction started this week, and after 45-days of construction, they will be up and running. The project provided jobs to around 50 local Afghans to build the wells, Pinckney said.The CERP team visits the sites weekly to make sure the construction is on schedule, and that these wells will be ready for the locals.

“Number one, they will have a water source,” Pinckney said. Quality is also a big factor is the wells. The water source will be around for a while and will provide clean water to prevent diseases, he said.Before the CERP team starts a project, they meet with the village elders to hear what they need in their villages. With the insufferable summer heat taking over Afghanistan, the need for water was their main priority.

“The village elders are excited because it helps their villages,” Pinckney said. “When we spoke with the village elders, they were very appreciative of us.”

As the CERP team was doing the site assessments over the past month, some of the locals came and started to thank the team even before anything had been done.

“Once they saw the 530th MRAPs and MATVs, they knew something good was about to happen,” Pinckney said.

The wells are slated to be completed in about a month. In the mean time, the CERP team is working on another project.

“The next project is a high school, which will provide them with a better school, completely renovated,” Pinckney said.

During a series of projects for the school, the team plans to supply the students and teachers with desks, to refurbish the library, and to build a perimeter wall. Also an outside area will be built with a gazebo and volleyball court.

"He which hath no stomach to this fight let him depart. But we in it shall be remembered. We few, we happy few, we band of brothers!! For he today, that sheds his blood with me, shall always be my brother.” (W.Shakespeare) Rest in peace my Brothers, you have not been forgotten.

29 June 2011 VOA News A New York federal court has sentenced three men to 25 years each in prison after being found guilty of plotting to blow up New York City synagogues and shoot down military planes.

A judge imposed the sentence Wednesday against James Cromitie, David Williams, and Onta (ON-tay) Williams.

The men were convicted last year of conspiracy to use weapons of mass destruction, after they were caught in an FBI sting in the Bronx.

The men were arrested after accepting fake explosives by a paid FBI informant. Their defense lawyers argued, unsuccessfully, that the men were victims of entrapment.

29 June 2011 VOA News Moldovan authorities say they have arrested six men suspected of smuggling uranium from Russia and trying to sell it to an unidentified buyer in a Muslim country in Africa.

Senior police investigator Vitalie Briceag said Wednesday the suspects were trying to sell a “few kilograms” of Uranium-235 that can be used to make nuclear weapons for nearly $29 million. He said the suspects had found a potential customer in the unnamed African country.

Sargento Manuel Argudin Perrino, 34, of Spain, died June 26 in Badghis, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered during an attack with an improvised explosive device. He was assigned to the V Centenario del Regimiento de Infantería Soria Nº 9, 16a Brigada de Infantería Ligera “Canarias”, Ejército de Tierra, Spanish Army.

"He which hath no stomach to this fight let him depart. But we in it shall be remembered. We few, we happy few, we band of brothers!! For he today, that sheds his blood with me, shall always be my brother.” (W.Shakespeare) Rest in peace my Brothers, you have not been forgotten.

Soldado Niyireth Pineda Marín, 31, of Colombia, Spain, died June 26 in Badghis, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered during an attack with an improvised explosive device. She was assigned to the V Centenario del Regimiento de Infantería Soria Nº 9, 16a Brigada de Infantería Ligera “Canarias”, Ejército de Tierra, Spanish Army.

"He which hath no stomach to this fight let him depart. But we in it shall be remembered. We few, we happy few, we band of brothers!! For he today, that sheds his blood with me, shall always be my brother.” (W.Shakespeare) Rest in peace my Brothers, you have not been forgotten.

Private 1st Class Cyrille Hugodot, 24, of DreuxDreux, Eure et Loir, France, died June 25 in the Kabul Military Hospital, Kapisa, Afghanistan, as a result of wounds from small arms-hostile fire. He was assigned to the 1er Régiment de Chasseurs Parachutistes, French Army.

"He which hath no stomach to this fight let him depart. But we in it shall be remembered. We few, we happy few, we band of brothers!! For he today, that sheds his blood with me, shall always be my brother.” (W.Shakespeare) Rest in peace my Brothers, you have not been forgotten.

Private Gia Goguadze, of Georgia, died June 20 in Helmand, Afghanistan, as a result of hostile fire. He was assigned to the III Infantry Brigade, Georgian Army.

"He which hath no stomach to this fight let him depart. But we in it shall be remembered. We few, we happy few, we band of brothers!! For he today, that sheds his blood with me, shall always be my brother.” (W.Shakespeare) Rest in peace my Brothers, you have not been forgotten.

Spc. Shaun Donahue of the 584th Maintenance Company, 142nd Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, 101st Sustainment Brigade, provides an Afghan driver with bottled water and a Halal meal. The drivers will soon have a place to get cooked food and to pray and wash themselves at the soon-to-be constructed Life Support Center. Photo by Sgt. 1st Class Peter Mayes

Story by Sgt. 1st Class Peter Mayes BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan – The Convoy Staging Yard at Bagram Airfield is considered a “home away from home” for many of the host nation truckers who convene there.

On any given day, the drivers converge there after completing a long haul through the dusty terrain. Once they arrive, they can line up outside a conex filled with Meals-Ready-to-Eat or Halal meals and grab a packet or two for chow. They can spend anywhere from two to three days on the road just to get to Bagram Airfield, and then spend an additional several days waiting there for their next mission.

"He which hath no stomach to this fight let him depart. But we in it shall be remembered. We few, we happy few, we band of brothers!! For he today, that sheds his blood with me, shall always be my brother.” (W.Shakespeare) Rest in peace my Brothers, you have not been forgotten.

29 June 2011 VOA News Egypt's health ministry says violent confrontations between police and protesters in central Cairo have injured more than a thousand people in the largest outbreak of unrest to hit the Egyptian capital in weeks.

Witnesses say most of those injured in the protests that began late Tuesday and lasted into Wednesday suffered smoke inhalation from tear gas fired by police to disperse rioters who threw stones and burned tires. Clouds of smoke engulfed the area.

Around 70 people were admitted to hospitals. The Egyptian interior ministry says at least 40 security personnel were among those hurt.

29 June 2011 VOA News Two French journalists who were kidnapped in Afghanistan in 2009 have been freed by their captors.

The office of French President Nicolas Sarkozy said Wednesday that reporters for France-3 television, Stephane Taponier and Herve Ghesquiere, have been released. Their Afghan translator, Reza Din, was also freed.

The president's office did not give further details.

The journalists, their interpreter, and two other Afghan colleagues were kidnapped in

In comments to the British parliament on Wednesday, Hague said secret Iranian tests of nuclear-capable missiles contravene U.N. Security Council Resolution 1929. He also accused Iran of engaging in covert experiments with rocket launchers.

Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast denied the British allegations, telling the Reuters news agency that none of the missiles tested by Iran has a nuclear capability.

28 Jun 11 Less than a month after British and Afghan forces launched a major operation against insurgents in Helmand's Nahr-e Saraj district, locals there are benefiting from improved security and freedom of movement.

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Ace Of Spades: Why Language MattersIn this article, Ace of Spades demonstrates how the writing style of "journalists" and other writers is purposely used to influence the electorate. He explains this far better than I have been able to do, but this is the foundation of why I could no longer be silent.